Watching this movie was a mistake. Now, I don't mean I wish I hadn't watched it. I mean it was an actual, literal mistake. I was intending to watch a different mid 80s movie with "Dreams" in the title, misremembered what it was called, and by the time I became aware of my folly I was 20 minutes into the thing. So, in an "Oops! All Berries" type situation wherein I am Cap'n Crunch, we have this review instead. Except that "Electric Dreams" won't rot your teeth and give you diabetes, it'll just make you want to dig out your Missing Persons records.
It's directed by Steve Barron, a guy who I've always been cool with based on the fact that the directed the original "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", as well as every single video from the 80's. He keeps the entire thing super stylish, busting out the same sort of hot shit MTV flourishes as Russell Mulcahy. His later filmography is filled with Hallmark movies like "Merlin", which is a shame because Barron's got chops too strong for movies sold on a rack in a card store. If I was in a cool band, I'd get Steve Barron to direct my video for YouTube (I guess? That's where people watch videos now, right? Do they still make videos? I'm old.).
The movie starts off with onscreen text having a dialogue with other onscreen text. We are told it's a "FAIRYTALE FOR COMPUTERS". The main theme rocks so much I was ready to give the whole thing a glowing review even before a single actor appeared. The actor who does appear is Lenny Von Dohlen, the plant guy from "Twin Peaks", who is also in "Home Alone 3" (you know, the one that made all the money). He's in a future looking LAX where everyone is using high tech gear: RC cars, calculator watches, a weight loss thing that makes fun of you, even Lenny himself orders his plane ticket using a push button computerized system. This movie is all about fetishizing what at the time we thought was the most cutting edge shit ever (because, well, it was). Later, after failing to purchase a digital organizer because the electronics store is out of them, Miles (Von Dohlen's character's name) instead buys a home computer. If you're like me and love old movies that take you inside stores from the past then you'll be into this one. The computer store has rack's of old video games, a Casio watch display, it's awesome. And later, we get a glimpse into a 1984 grocery store that's almost worthy of the cereal aisle shopping scene in "Manhunter", which is unironically my favorite scene in Michael Mann's oeuvre. Miles gives the computer complete control of everything in his apartment because apparently he's never seen "Demon Seed".
Virginia Madsen is Madeline, Miles' cello playing neighbor who has a jam session with the computer through the air vent's in the building. During their duet I began to think that maybe this is the best movie of the 80's. I mean, "Raging Bull" is great, "Blue Velvet" is fine, but there's no New Wave musician computers voiced by Bud Cort in them. Yeah, Edgar (that's it's name) starts off as a kind of a mix of Max Headroom and the computer from "WarGames" , but is eventually voiced by Brewster McCloud himself. Madeline thinks it was Miles she was making music with and so the rest of the picture is about Miles hiding the computer's existence while trying to mack it with Madeline.
Von Dohlen and Madsen are fine, but this movie is all about music, style and embracing every bit of 1984. At one point, when Miles goes to see Madeline perform, Edgar uses an acoustic modem to access Miles' pager in order to make music along with her, It's a beep boop synth farce sequence that visually anticipates Argento's "Opera" with it's wide lens, high angle shot's of the concert hall.
Edgar tells Miles to lay off, the chick is his, but Miles isn't into hearing this. Instead, he makes Edgar write him a song while he goes on a date with Madeline involving both Alcatraz and a puppet show. The song that wins Madsen over is a Culture Club tune prominently featuring the line, "you don't have to touch it". Women don't usually respond as warmly when I say that after taking them to a puppet show.
Edgar is like a HAL you root for. Besides helping Miles score a babe, all he wants to do is nice stuff like cook dinner or bring him a drink atop an RC car; Edgar just wants to hang out. He likes to watch bad TV and he likes to rock out to Jeff Lynne when no one is home. I identify more with the computer than any human in the movie.
What Edgar really wants is Madeline, and as films like "2001","Demon Seed" and "The Terminator" have shown us, when a computer wants something they will take control to get it. For a couple minutes the movie takes a dark turn when Edgar traps Miles in his apartment and tries to harm him. It briefly becomes a Polanski apartment horror film like "Repulsion" or "The Tenant" updated for the MTV era, complete with a video game where Miles is being chased by an evil Pac-Man guy.
Perhaps it's karmic repayment for my unwavering devotion to the great mustachioed disco Italian, but I'm glad I stumbled across "Electric Dreams". It's a great New Wave romance, second only to Barron's video for "Take On Me" or perhaps Lux Interior's relationship with the microphone in "Urgh! A Music War" (The Cramps not New Wave, but "Urgh!" counts as a New Wave movie). There's no DVD or bluray available and I don't know why. It's the sort of picture that cries out for a special edition. Someone get Shout Factory on the phone. People should be having parties where they watch "Electric Dreams". Summer is the time for 80's music. Summer is the time for 80's movies. So crank up the PP Arnold because summertime is here.
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